Donuts for Benny is the 26th Silly Song and was featured in Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving.
The song is about Benny, a poor old mutt who sits outside a donut shop and begs for donuts. At Mr. Lunt's urging, passersby keep giving Benny donuts, but Mr. Lunt learns the hard way that dogs should not be fed donuts when Benny twice gives a hyperactive rendition of "Waltz Me Around Again, Willie".
Lyrics
Announcer: And now it's time for "Helpful Humanitarian Songs with Mr. Lunt", the part of the show where Mr. Lunt comes out and sings a Helpful Humanitarian Song.
(The song takes place outside a donut shop and focuses on a homeless dog named Benny.)
Lunt: Well he's a mangy old pet.
If you saw him I bet
You'd walk the other way.
So sad and alone,
With his hair overgrown
Like a stinky old toupee.
But doggies have feelings,
And doggies need love.
And doggies like those deep fried treats
That come from up above!
Ohhh! Donuts for Benny (to Mom Carrot) Please give
a glaze to make him smile. Thank you, ma'am!
Poor troubled beast.
Won't you at least
(Annie gives him some donuts.)
Comfort him awhile? (to Dad Carrot) Sir, can you spare a
Donut for Benny?
Please help my doggy friend. Thank you kind sir!
(Archibald gives him a donut too.)
A honey dip would really help
His broken heart to mend...(2x)
(A heart shaped donut is put back together. Eventually, Benny's mood changes thanks to all the generosity shown by everyone.)
Lunt: Well just look at this pup.
He is brightening up.
He's looking not so weak. Oh Benny!
His outlook was grim
Till you gave pastries to him.
Oh look, he wants to speak... (As Benny is given more donuts, he howls.)
Oh, doggies have feelings!
And doggies need love!
And doggies like sweet, doughy treats
That come from up above!
(Suddenly, Benny gets up on his back legs and starts singing and dancing.)
Benny: Waltz me around again baby!
Around, around, around!
Lunt: Hey, hey, what's going on?
Benny: These donuts are dreamy!
Their filling is creamy!
Oh don't let my feet touch the ground!
Lunt: Hey, what are you...? I didn't know you could...
Benny: I feel like a ship on an ocean of joy.
I just want to holler out loud, "SHIP AHOY!"
(He picks up Mr. Lunt and swings him around.)
Lunt: Stop that! Benny! No, don't do that!
Benny: Waltz me around again baby!
Around, around, around!
(Benny goes back to being a normal dog.)
Lunt: Maybe... you shouldn't have any more donuts.
(It turns out the people liked what they witnessed. So they give him more donuts.)
Townspeople: Oh, doggies have feelings.
Lunt: No no no no! No! Don't give him any more! They make him crazy! Like... Jerry Lewis!
Townspeople: Doggies need love.
Lunt: No! No, no more donuts for the dog! Oh man, this is a terrible idea. What's in these things?
Townspeople: And doggies like sweet, doughy treats
That come from up above!
(Benny, now sporting a top hat, goes anthropomorphic again.)
Benny: Ohhh... Waltz me around again baby!
Lunt: Stop it!
Benny: Around, around, around!
Lunt: No, don't give him donuts! Bad idea!
Benny: These donuts are dreamy!
Their filling is creamy!
Oh don't let my feet touch the ground
I feel like a ship on an ocean of joy.
I just want to holler out loud, "SHIP AHOY!"
(As Benny dances one more time, Mr. Lunt talks to himself, regretful about giving donuts to him in the first place.)
Lunt: I need a new pet.
Benny: Waltz me around again baby!
Around, around, around!
Lunt: Can turtles eat donuts? (continuing under dialogue) What kind of pet doesn't have a mouth? I can give one a balloon.
Announcer: This has been "Helpful Humanitarian Songs with Mr. Lunt", tune in next time to hear Mr. Lunt say...
Lunt: Don't..give...donuts...to dogs!!
Characters
- Mr Lunt
- Archibald Asparagus
- Benny
- Annie Onion (does not speak)
- Percy Pea (does not speak)
Fun Facts
Trivia
- This is the last Silly Song of the 2000's.
- This is Mr. Lunt's second solo on a Silly Song. The first being His Cheeseburger.
- Mike Nawrocki came up with idea for this song while he was visiting his in-laws, his wife’s sister, and she worked at a high school up in the Chicago area. Mike was going through the school, and they had a poster up that said “Donuts for Benny.” It was some sort of fundraiser for the school — they had a dog mascot — and Mike just thought that was really funny.
Remarks
- As suggested by Mr. Lunt at the end, dogs can't eat doughnuts because the ingredients in donuts can't be digested very well by dogs.
Goofs
- The back of the DVD states that Larry sang this song, but he never did.
Real-World References
- Waltz Me Around Again, Willie is a real song sung by Billy Murray in 1906 and can be heard here.
- Jerry Lewis was a legendary comedian, actor, singer, director, producer, screenwriter, and humanitarian nicknamed "The King of Comedy" and known for being paired with Dean Martin as the groundbreaking act of Martin and Lewis.
- It could possibly also be a parody of the song “Feed the Birds”, from Mary Poppins. Both songs are musically and thematically somewhat similar.
Gallery
Music Video
